Governor to hold Labor Day meeting in Newton

Governor Tom Vilsack says he’ll go to Newton on Labor Day to talk with local workers about their future, and the future of Maytag. The democratic governor says the one-thousand workers at the company’s factory are concerned about the fate of their jobs with a takeover by rival Whirlpool looming in their future. Vilsack says it’s important to hold the meeting, to convey the “sense of solidarity” behind the Maytag workers in Newton, and he wants to emphasize how productive Iowa’s workers are at the factory, while Whirlpool’s deciding the future of that factory. Vilsack says he’ll hold a town meeting in Newton with Iowa Congressman Leonard Boswell and Newton Mayor Chaz Allen, to try and answer any questions workers have about the company’s impending takeover by Whirlpool. “The message we want to send,” says Vilsack, “is that we understand people are anxious. We want to… begin that dialogue on Labor Day so that they know there are people at the highest levels concerned about their future.” Vilsack says he’s told Whirlpool company officials that the state may be able to help the company retrain workers, or invest in new equipment.